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You just have to wonder if the Eighth Inning in tonight's game was their 2012 "high water mark". The Yankees were down by five late in the game against a bullpen that is almost a sure thing. With two outs they string together a series of hits and walks to tie the game aided by Buck's interesting decision to allow a wildly ineffective Pedro Strop to pitch to left hander Ichiro with the game on the line; which resulted in the Yankees tying the game.

Before the NY dugout was finishing their high fives Adam Jones hit a moon shot to put the Orioles ahead again and he was followed by back to back homers resulting in three more runs. Before the Bombers were able to record the first out of inning they were behind by four again. After the horrible stretch they've had over the last month you would have to think that they NEEDED this win tonight after they came back. To have it slip away so quickly and dramatically will really test their character. The Yankees are a veteran team that knows how to overcome adversity, but you could just SEE the entire dugout deflate during that carnage.

We'll have to see whether NY can come back tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're flat for the rest of this series. If they miss the playoffs this year they can probably point a finger and say this was the night it all slipped away.

But you know, on Cal's night, this is the way he would have won it too.

Reynolds getting hot has been a godsend. And Jones finally looking like he was back in the Toronto series by stinging the ball, showed it on that HR. Wieters getting us up big early. If the big bats are back to playing like they were in April and May, we are in for some fireworks.

And now a win to follow-up on Friday night, could spell doom for the Yankees and perhaps a division for the Orioles.

You guys do realize that games are not played on paper and the night before means jack squat. If you do not like the Keith Law type comments, you cannot live on the other end of the spectrum because it suits your palette.

Don wrote:You guys do realize that games are not played on paper and the night before means jack squat. If you do not like the Keith Law type comments, you cannot live on the other end of the spectrum because it suits your palette.

A team's roster is made up of 25 human beings, each of whom have human emotions. The Yankees LOOK like they have been going through the motions for about the last six weeks. I give them credit for being seasoned professionals that have pride and solid clubhouse leaders, but I wonder if they REALLY want it this year. I also wonder how much of an emotional toll last night's game will take on them. We'll know around 10 PM this evening.

I respect your statement but I could easily see you making it sometime in August or September last year about the Red Sox. Clearly, there was a turning moment for that team, too.

Well thus far today's game is a good indication that these sorts of armchair psychiatrist assumptions about what's going to happen following a deflating loss aren't worth a damn.

Yes, baseball players are human and emotional, which primarily means they're difficult to predict. Therefore, predicting how they'll react to something-- or predicting that they'll all react the same way-- doesn't make a great deal of sense.

Maybe we're still alive. I was surprised to read it too, but Betemit is actually a better hitter this year against RH pitchers than Markakis, in BA, OBP, and SLG. Since Ford's already going to be in the lineup against lefties, the problem will be production against them. Shame Reimold can't come back.

Ampontan wrote:Maybe we're still alive. I was surprised to read it too, but Betemit is actually a better hitter this year against RH pitchers than Markakis, in BA, OBP, and SLG. Since Ford's already going to be in the lineup against lefties, the problem will be production against them. Shame Reimold can't come back.

Todya's game will show how much character this team has. Instead of retaliating I hope the team just comes out and pounds the dog poop out of the Yankees. Being up by nine runs in the Third in a game that is ABSOLUTELY critical to the Yankees is a pretty good way of getting even.

Ampontan wrote:Maybe we're still alive. I was surprised to read it too, but Betemit is actually a better hitter this year against RH pitchers than Markakis, in BA, OBP, and SLG. Since Ford's already going to be in the lineup against lefties, the problem will be production against them. Shame Reimold can't come back.

I made a thread awhile back about how good Betemit was vs RHP. Not many people realize it.

Easy to say this way after September 6th, but NO. There are hardly any "must win" baseball games and likewise "season-ending losses" until your back is literally against the wall. With 22 games left now, there's still plenty of baseball left to be played. This isn't football where a week one loss can be devestating. Losing or winning one football game is the equivalent of doing the same thing for 10 baseball games. Anything can happen with the O's, Yanks, and Rays, a computer program isn't running the rest of the season. Those probablity charts would've had the Braves/Red Sox "in" the playoffs last year at this point with a lot of room to spare.